1. Field of Invention
Red grape dry composition and health drink containing powerful antioxidants including resveratrol, for human consumption, and for skin topical application, the production thereof and use of the same.
2. Prior Art
This invention relates to a human food product that, due to its nutrient characteristics, contains many health benefits. It is suitable for human consumption in the form of a tea-like beverage as part of a normal daily diet, or in other forms as a food supplement. The invention is prepared by means of a unique, simplified method using stalks, skins, and seeds of red grape berries, which, combined together, naturally bear powerful anti-inflammatory properties when the ingredients are subjected to natural methods of fermentation and other natural processing.
Grape seeds and skins have been long under scrutiny by the scientific community for their strong antioxidant characteristics. Recent advances in medicine, biology, and other sciences have brought new light in a quest for longer, healthier human life span. One of the most important discoveries in the last ten years was a set of genes, called sirtuin, which is believed to play a critical role in regulating the lifespan. Chemicals that affect sirtuin activity have been found in plants, and one specifically, resveratrol, is viewed as notably powerful in the process of activating health-promoting genes.
Resveratrol is a phytoalexin produced naturally by several plants, including grapes (primarily in the seed and skins), apparently due to its anti-fungal reaction. Plants, e.g. blueberries, bilberries, peanuts and others, generate resveratrol, and it is, also present (in a wide range, 0.4-40 mg/L) in grape wines, especially reds. Grape pomace/marc (byproducts of winemaking), grapes juices, and wines are all used as a source for resveratrol extraction.
Resveratrol anti-inflammatory properties are utilized by pharmaceutical industries in the U.S. and overseas in making drugs and food supplements. Gokaraju et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 7,026,518, 2006) stated that antioxidant and superoxide scavenging properties of resveratrol have been scientifically established. Efforts are now being made to synthesize structural analogs of resveratrol for evaluation of their relative antioxidant potentials.
Cambridge based bio-pharmaceutical company, Sirtris, Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRT) is searching to develop a proprietary molecule drug to treat diseases associated with aging, including metabolic diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes. In January 2008, the company released results from recent clinical trials that found patients with diabetes who took the drug (SRT-501) showed improvement. The treatment is a concentrated form of resveratrol, a substance extracted from red wine. Sirtris hopes to bring its drug to market in 2012. (The Boston Globe, Jan. 10, 2008).
Furthermore, grape seeds and skins have a high concentration of other phenolic components that are also recognized for positive effects on human health: tannin (studies by Feries et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,479,081, 2002)), catechin, resveratrol, and quercetin (hereinafter “CRQ”), as well as vitamins and minerals. A number of U.S. patents were issued to inventions which discovered either new health-beneficial compositions, including grape seeds/skin processed derivatives, and/or offered innovative combinations and/or methods of their intaking Schakel et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 7,273,607, 2007) studied grape seed extract and recommended its usage in combination with other herbs and essential oils. Schakel's formula, including grape seed extracts, claimed to slow, stop, or reverse the growth of cancerous cells. Hersh, et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,470,894, 2002) suggested including grape seed extract into a composition to neutralize tobacco free radicals. Hersh and others revealed grape seeds' ability to reduce free radical damage to the oro-pharyngeal cavity, respiratory tract, and lungs resulting from tobacco smoke. Moreover, Wild, et al., (U.S. Pat. No. 7,087,259, 2006) demonstrated that the presence of oligomeric procyanidins in grape seed extracts makes them very efficient free-radical scavengers due to their hypotensive and antiarteriosclerotic properties.
Howard et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,086,910, 2000 & U.S. Pat. No. 6,642,277, 2003) conducted comprehensive studies with plant-derived polyphenols for human health benefits. The inventors showed, including through experiments on volunteers, positive therapeutic effect of their proprietary 25% polyphenol concentrate in critical human health areas, e.g. preventing or treating coronary heart disease; and inhibition of oxidation of plasma LDL and/or platelet aggregation. Howard et al. used grape wine, pomace (substance comprising grape marc and juice prior to pressure-separating) among their sources for preparing polyphenol powder. The inventors, furthermore, used the following methods to extract resveratrol: a) vacuum distillation at 75-80 degrees C., and b) nitrogen drying.
Many, if not all, of the essential characteristics of grape seeds and skins described in the aforementioned inventions, such as the ability to neutralize inflammatory processes, to slow the growth of cancerous cells, and others, should safely exist in the new composition of the substance of the present invention, i.e. dry grape berry stalks, skins and seeds and health drink made therefrom. The present invention greatly differs from findings and products currently available in scientific and practical fields.
Most patents reviewed target novel compositions of prescribed drugs for hospital patients, while the prime objective of the present invention is a natural plant composition designed for prophylactic and prevention treatment. In the food supplements field, reviewed patents (e.g. Wild et al. U.S. Pat. No. 7,087,259) cover mostly grape seed/skin extracts without the inclusion of the grape berry stalks, which is an important distinction of this invention. None of the observed patents or products available on the market matches the uniqueness of the present invention either in terms of the combination of grape plant parts, or in terms of originality of preparation method involving natural fermentation. For instance, Howard et al., by using, as a source, commercially obtained wine or pomace (that were other makers' products), subjected themselves to a greater chance of uncertainty. Advantageously, findings of the present invention benefit from having raw grape plants, Concord Grapes from the Finger Lakes region of the U.S., as its initial source. Thus, while viewing the wine as a source for polyphenols and resveratrol, an intriguing connection is found between the wine making method (whether or not it was fermented and mixed with skins, seeds and stems/stalks) and the amount of resveratrol found in the final substance. For instance, Spanish wines tend to be resveratrol-richer due to the fact that local wine-makers, historically, preferred to ferment crushed grapes mixed with skins, seeds, and stalks, for a relatively longer time.
Also, it looks like a similar method was used by Stone Age people, 8,000 years ago, in Shulayeri village in Georgia (Caucasian Mountain) where the world's oldest wine was recently found. Hence, with regard to fermenting, this invention employed a method similar to ancient traditions, i.e. a) three components of a grape plant: grape berry stalks, skins and seeds were used in the mixture for fermentation; and b) an extended fermenting period, up to three weeks, was employed. This technique is based on an existing hypothesis that biological and chemical reactions during pomace/marc fermentation provide a favorable environment for preserving, or even enriching phenolic antioxidants, including resveratrol, in the substance. Furthermore, words of caution should be expressed with regard to techniques used by researchers to extract antioxidants. Specifically, Gourdin, et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 7,306,815, 2007) studied the enrichment methods of phenolic compounds and concluded that a hot extraction temperature can cause degradation of the proanthocyanidins. In addition, it was found that the ultrafiltration removes some of the low molecular weight polyphenolic material from the final product.
A Napa Valley (CA) based company sells assorted “Antioxidant Grape Seed Spa Teas” that are worth review as remotely comparable to the composition of this invention. The sample we tasted had the following ingredients: wine grape seeds, rose petals, chamomile, orange peel, stevia and natural fruit oils. Whether there were antioxidants, and if so their levels, was not indicated on the label. The findings of physical examination showed that the grape seed content in the composition of the 2 g tea bag was about 10-15%. This means that the composition would contain a proportional amount of phenolic antioxidants, i.e. 10-15% per 2 g tea bag, given that Napa Valley used CRQ potent grapes. Neither grape skins nor stalks have been found in “Grape Seed Spa Tea.” Thus, many manufacturers choose to present and advertise their product using just general terminology. In some cases, they would refer to resveratrol or other antioxidant contents in an original fruit or plant source, not in a final product. Advantageously, the present inventive composition is to consist of 80-100% of red grape stalks, skins, and seeds which contain a potent group of phenolic antioxidants (HPLC) that are proven to be present in the final product as well as in its original natural source.
Besides resveratrol, catechin, quercetin, and tannin are present in the composition of the present invention. These substances have also been found to have positive effects on the human immune system in different trials. Weyant et al. studied the implications of catechin on a cancerous mouse to conclude that catechin inhibited intestinal tumor formation and “suppressed focal adhesion kinase activation.” (Cancer Research (ISSN 0008-5472), 61, 118-125, Jan. 1, 2001, by the American Association for Cancer Research, Inc. (AACR)). J. Mark Davis (Professor and Director of Exercise Biochemical Laboratory, University of South Carolina) named quercetin a powerful antioxidant shown to reduce the risk of flu in laboratory animals. Recent studies have also shown the capacity of tannins to suppress production of the peptides responsible for hardening arteries, as well as other potential antiviral, antibacterial and antiparasitic effects. In the past few years, tannins have also been studied for their potential effects against cancer through different mechanisms.
Furthermore, phenol products, especially grape seed oil, are known to be able to prevent ultraviolet light-induced damage to human hair and skin and otherwise rejuvenate facial and body skin. The cosmetics industry uses these properties in manufacturing sunscreens, body scrub cleansing, hair dyes and others. According to a London-based market research firm “Mintel International Group, Ltd,” grapes are widely used in the cosmetics industry because of their “anti-aging” properties. (“Grapes boast high potential in anti-aging market” by Guy Monatgue-Jones, Aug. 2, 2008, available at www.cosmeticsdesign.com). One of many facial moisturizes available on the market, “Merlot. Grape Seed Moisturizer” by Merlot, a US company, was examined by the inventor of the present invention. As per the trade label, the main ingredient was ‘grape seed polyphenols.” No grape skins or stalk derivatives were said to be present in the product. Numerous other cosmetic products and related publications were reviewed in order to determine whether any of them offer, recommend or refer to the usage of the ingredient complex similar to those suggested by the present invention. Nothing was found resembling the uniqueness of the present invention composition and the method of its preparation.